Bogota Bee-Bop

Here are some of my picks & they aren't those mentioned in the guidebooks (sorry Lonely Planet & Fodor's):

1) Crepes & Muffins (Chapinero & Septima/7th)
2) Crepes & Waffles (any location)
3) Frida's (Super *****)
4) Oma (better than the Juan Valdez coffee shops which are somewhat reminiscent of Starbuck's). This is in La Zona Rosa.
5) Al Wadi (in La Macarena??) I just know that it's an awesome Middle Eastern restaurant in the bohemian section of Bogota & up what feels like 130, 000 stairs....

So, forget Andres Carne de Res, unless you've got the brass for it ($$$) & L'Jaim in La Candelaria is under new ownership (& neither the food nor the service is all that attractive). Don't let your friends trick you into drinking chicha either, this is a really potent & thoroughly disgusting drink!

If you are traveling to Villa de Leyva, walk around until you find an older gentlemen wearing a jaunty little cap & a cane who is the owner of Rincon de Bachue Restaurante Cra. 9 No. 15A-15. Don't worry, he can spot a foreign traveler from a mile away & will seek you out & chat you up. For the best Colombian B&B, stay @ Casa/Hotel Villa Cristina Calle 10 No. 3-78: (03) 313 3901833- 300 5686528 (Don Elirio).

I've been to Bogota 3x & still love it more each time. I have a lot of travel spot tips, but HEY, this is a blog for Foodie's!

Montreal & Fist-Pumping Cigarettes

On our Montreal paseo, Benny & I encountered several Foodie Finds. Now, there is a lot to recommend Montreal in scenery alone. This city is literally humming with activity & if you are a people watcher like me, you need to travel with a Foodie like Benny. Otherwise, you'll be so distracted by the visual stimulation, you're likely to starve!

Foodie Finds:
1) Basha's (Lebanese): This is a chain, but opt for the Sherbrooke & McGill location. Benny ate their almost every day of our trip & he's a selective eater. He didn't even try to pour ketchup or Ranch dressing on their food!
2) Harmonie (Vietnamese): In the heart of Chinatown, this shop is everything that is Kawaii cute. From it bubble tea varieties to the cute cakes & steam buns, you will need to walk the length of a street block over to Vieux Montreal to drop the carbohydrates. Don't waste time eating at the "Chinese Buffet" next door (avoid Tonkin).
3) Pho Cali (Vietnamese): Chinatown, on the main drag & it's all things noodle soup. The best pho shop in Montreal.
4) Tim Horton's: Also a chain, but it would put Dunkin' Donuts our of business today if one of these chains opened in Florida. Their hashbrowns alone make a body wish Passover passed more often. Not to mention the mocha cafe; a signature drink.
5) Jean-Talon Market: I saved this for last & for a reason. There is just too much to say about this place. It is a Foodie's delight & visually stunning. I'm hungry just thinking about it. From halal shops to bison-on-a-stick, this is a stop that makes the whole Montreal travel worthwhile. The vendors are friendly & the atmosphere cheerful. Just jump off the metro & follow the folks with their canvas bags...

Foodie Find: Too Jays Deli

Now, I have lived in Broward County longer than I care to say & I NEVER noticed this deli before. Leave it to BFF Benny's peepers to find this gem. When we were ordering & I told the server we were there as first-timers, he naturally assumed we had just moved to the area. I wish I would have captured for all time what followed: the server's mixed expression of shock/conufusion/dismay at my utter ignorance for not having heard of Too Jays sooner. Benny can be fogriven this one; he's only been a Florida resident for 2+ years! The food is perfection & the presentation delightful. If I were a food critic, I would give this Deli the highest star-rating (Huzzah, Deli Den).

Ropa Vieja: It Tastes Better than it Sounds...

I made ropa vieja this weekend & somehow it didn't taste as great as it did when I was a kid. I may have missed this crucial ingredient: (dry) white wine. As a kid, it wasn't easy to convince to me to eat something translated into English (from Spanish) as "old clothes" but then again, my sister wouldn't eat yucca because of its phonetic pronounciation! To this day, she holds fast to her opinions on "YUCKA"!!

Late Bloomer to Blogging

As I am encouraged to become a more seasoned traveler, I selfishly decided (along with my partner in crime/BFF), to blog my chronicles. Even if we are the only ones who read it!